Lowry slams press over Romney tour

8/2/12 9:58 AM EDT

National Review editor Rich Lowry, a new opinion contributor here at POLITICO, slams the press for its performance during Mitt Romney's overseas tour:

The press can say, like it or not, it simply played its role. Which is true — if it’s supposed to be querulous, unfair and self-obsessed. ...

The shouted questions [by reporters in Warsaw] were instructive — all emanating from deep within the media’s own narrative. There was: “Do you have a statement for the Palestinians?” Then, there was: “What about your gaffes?” Finally, that original follow-up: “Do you feel that your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?”

Seriously, we send people to journalism school for this? Why not outsource the work to Media Matters and be done with it?

Lowry obviously comes at this from the right, but he's tapping into a very real feeling — especially among a few reporters I've talked to — that what went down in Warsaw reflects far worse on the media than it does on Romney.